346th Bombardment Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 346th Bombardment Group


caption= 504th Bombardment Group Insignia
dates= 1942 - 1946
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Army Air Forces
type=
role= Bombardment
size=
command_structure= Twentieth Air Force
current_commander=
garrison= Pacific Ocean Theater of World War II
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=


* World War II: American Campaign (1942-1945): Pacific Theater (1945)
anniversaries=The 346th Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.

History

Assignments

* Second Air Force: 2d (later II) Bomber Command:: 7 Sep 1942 - 1 Apr 1944:: 18 Aug 1944 - 31 Jul 1945
* Eighth Air Force: 316 Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, 31 Jul 1945-30 Jun 1946

Stations assigned

* Salt Lake City AAB, UT 7 Sep 1942
* Smoky Hill AAF, KS 3 Oct 1942
* Dyersburg AAFld, TN 26 Feb 1943-1 Apr 1944
* Dalhart AAF, TX 18 Aug 1944
* Pratt AAF, KS 18 Jan 29 Jun 1945
* Kadena AB, Okinawa 7 Aug 1945-30 Jun 1946

Operational Units

* 461st Bombardment Squadron 1944-1946 (B-29)
* 462d Bombardment Squadron 1944-1946 (B-29)
* 463d Bombardment Squadron 1944-1946 (B-29)
* 502d Bombardment Squadron 1942-1944 (B-17, B-24)
* 503d Bombardment Squadron 1942-1944 (B-17, B-24)
* 504th Bombardment Squadron 1942-1944 (B-17, B-24)
* 505th Bombardment Squadron 1942-1944 (B-17, B-24)

Aircraft Flown

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
* Consolidated B-24 Liberator
* Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Operational history

Constituted as 346th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 3 Sep 1942 and activated on 7 Sep. Assigned to Second AF. Equipped with B-17's and B-24's. Served first as an operational training and later as a replacement training unit. Inactivated on 1 Apr 1944.

Redesignated 346th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy). Activated on 8 Aug 1944. Assigned to Second AF. Prepared for combat with B-29's. Moved to the Pacific theater, Jun-Aug 1945, and assigned to Eighth AF. The war ended before the group could begin combat operations. After the war the group participated in several show-of-force missions over Japan and for a time ferried Allied prisoners of war from Okinawa to the Philippine Islands.

Inactivated on Okinawa on 30 Jun 1946

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.

External links

* [http://346bg.com 346th Bomb Group Website]